[Onthebarricades] THAILAND: Van drivers blockade road over repression; anti-coup rallies growing

[Andy]

http://www.bangkokpost.net/060607_News/06Jun2007_news08.php

Illegal vans protest by blocking road in Ayutthaya 
Ayutthaya _ Operators of unregistered passenger van services yesterday blocked a main road in Ayutthaya province to protest against a clampdown. Police recently brought tightened control of vans shuttling commuters between Bangkok and neighbouring provinces, as they were afraid the services may be used to take people to join anti-coup rallies in the capital. 

The vans running inter-provincial transport services are technically illegal, but they have been granted a temporary reprieve. 

Disgruntled operators parked more than 300 passenger vans on Naraesuan road opposite the provincial bus terminal, paralysing traffic in the area. 

The protest, led by former Democrat party candidate Sombat Thapprayoon and a local politician with close connections to the now defunct Thai Rak Thai party, Montri Raksadi, was joined by more than 500 protesters. 

The two men took turns to criticise the government and the police for ordering the crackdown, which they said disrupted transport and commuters. 

The protesters demanded Ayutthaya governor Cherdphan na Songkhla receive their petition. About 200 police were sent to the scene to maintain peace and order. 

Ayutthaya is one of four provinces in the central region where public van services are under watch by Special Branch Police under an order made yesterday. The other provinces where operators are being monitored by police are Lop Buri, Nonthaburi and Saraburi, which are bastions of the dissolved Thai Rak Thai party. 

The Inter-Provincial Van Association yesterday denied allegations that its vans took people from upcountry to anti-coup rallies in Bangkok. 

Songpol Puangthong, vice-chairman of the association, said it had no connection with any political parties. 

The association will complain to Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont and acting national police chief Seripisuth Temiyavej in the next few days. 

It warned it would mobilise more than 5,000 vans in 36 provinces to stage a bigger protest if the government fails to respond to its complaint in three days. 

A source said the association is chaired by Samroeng Adisa, said to be a close aide of Newin Chidchob, a former executive member of the Thai Rak Thai party. 

Mr Newin is among 111 executive members of the party, founded by deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, facing a five-year ban from politics. 


Meanwhile, Pol Lt-Gen Adisorn Nonsi, chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said police were able to handle the PTV-led anti-coup rally at Sanam Luang. 

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http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/topstories.php?id=119300

Anti-coup rallies building

BangkokPost.com, Agencies 

More than 8,000 people gathered at central Sanam Luang plaza in Bangkok on Thursday night to protest against the country's military-installed government and build momentum for a weekend demonstration.

Apart from this weekend's major rally, pro-Thaksin groups also plan to hold a big demonstration on June 24. 

The demonstrators rallied at Sanam Luang in the sixth consecutive daily protest against the military, which overthrew Thailand's twice-elected premier Thaksin Shinawatra last Sept 19.

Police said some 8,500 people joined the protest but rally organisers, linked to Thaksin, claimed 20,000 people participated in the gathering. 

The official "sponsors" of the daily rallies are PTV - People's Television - which has no broadcasts but increasingly is showing its pro-Thaksin roots to the public.

Some 300 security officials were deployed around the plaza in central Bangkok but there were no reports of violence at the protest.

Thai News Agency reported that Defence Minister Boonrawd Somtas believed many of those joining anti-junta protests at Sanam Luang this week appeared to have no ideology of their own, and may have been hired to appear at the site. 

Chart Thai Party leader Banharn Silpa-acha said on Wednesday that each demonstrator had been paid 500 baht to join the PTV protests. Gen Boonrawd said the rent-a-mob had been hired by unknown persons, but the authorities had not yet obtained sufficient evidence of money being handed out for that purpose.

Protest leaders, some associated with the now dissolved Thai Rak Thai party, have launched the anti-CNS moves only for their personal gain, Gen Boonrawd said. 

The defence minister said demonstrators had clearly paid little attention to the speeches at the rallies against the Council for National Security. He urged a halt to protests, and agreement to reconcile, so that a general election could be held as scheduled in December.
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